The product info on the Titan website doesnt specify whether or not this bar can be dropped from overhead under load, so I reached out to customer service to ask them. The bar has a tacky finish that feels closer to bare steel than chrome. I separate fact from fiction to find the most effective and affordable options for home fitness. The knurl pattern on both ends is shifted toward the center, leaving three inches of smooth un-knurled bar at the ends by the collars. Not sure why, I guess the thin grooves just grate on the bumper inserts.
The Troy Barbell 6 ft Olympic Chrome Barhas amedium knurl that extends to within 1 inch of the collar. Sleeve loaded with 70kg and a fully secure Lock-Jaw collar. So if you typically grip the bar just outside the outer knurl mark when you snatch, the XF Short Bar will work for you. The sleeves are ribbed, and bumpers slide on and off with a fairly loud zipping noise. The combination of needle bearings and bushings in the sleeves produce a spin that is smooth and consistent but not overly loose. I do still occasionally have to use chalk with the Performance Training Bar, but it still offers the best grip out of the entire test group. The collars stick out from the end of the bar by only about a quarter of an inch, leaving plenty of collar in contact with the bar to keep the plates secure.
Im not a fan of black zinc as a barbell finish because it doesnt tend to hold up well over time. This oddball weight totally throws off my plate math, but its so light that it makes the bar very accessible for young people and adults that may have limited weight lifting experience. The biggest drawbacks are that it isnt rackable on a standard full size rack and may be too short for snatches if you use an extra wide grip. This bar is perfect for CrossFit-style WoDs and MetCons, Olympic lifts, and also good for pressing lifts like squats, bench press, and overhead press. Its a good balance for the typical mix of Olympic lifts and Powerlifting in CrossFit-style workouts. It was originally only offered as part of a bar and bumper plate set, which meant you had to spend a minimum of 500 bucks just to get your hands on it, regardless of whether or not you needed the bumpers. The 10kg weight makes it an excellent choice for anyone new to weightlifting and the compact size is perfect for working out in tight spaces. The Rogue C-60B bar has an interesting history. The XF Short Bar was clearly constructed using very precise machining tolerances. The GetRXd Shorty Bar is constructed with the samesteel as the GetRXd WOD Bars, which are designed to take a beating. A standard non-Olympic bar typically has sleeves that are 1 in diameter, so the distinction is important. Most of the plates were tested using a set of Rogue competition plates (full review), although I recently replaced them with a set of Titan Fitness urethane competition plates (full review) after getting a good deal on them during a Black Friday sale. The spin is buttery smooth and consistent, especially considering this bar uses bushings instead of bearings. The C-60B is similar to the Ohio bar in every way except for the length of the shaft and sleeves. First, the shaft diameter. If youll recall from the requirements section, 300lbs puts the bar right at the limit of acceptable criteria for inclusion in this review.
Bottom line, the American Barbell 10KG Performance Training Bar is the best short barbell Ive tested for Olympic-style lifting, workouts in tight spaces, or as a secondary bar for accessory lifts. Full 150kg weight stack loaded on the bar with room to spare! Hey Mario, have you I have a chance to test out rogue C-70S yet? Will likey sell the odd man out after deciding which 2 will be used the most. Sleeves loaded with 60kg each and spring clips. Please log in again. This is not a bar for use with Olympic lifts, and is unlikely to make a good WOD bar.
Based on my experience with the American Barbell T-Grip Shorty Bar(which I love by the way) I thought 25mm would be too narrow for me to use effectively for regular lifting, but I was wrong. For the asking price, theTitan 6 Technique Olympic Baris almost a no brainer purchase for a basic barbell. The new and improved GetRXd Shorty Bar now fits on all standard squat racks up to 50 wide. Ill get this out of the way up front I included this bar because the specs list the inner bar length as 51, but it only measures 49.25. This bar can also be used for pulling lifts, as long as youre okay with using some chalk for adding grip to the light knurling and chrome finish. Deadlifting over 250lbs is well within the range of achievability of most healthy people that train consistently, so the relatively low weight rating means this bar has a built-in limited lifespan of usefulness. Although the Junior Bar has a tensile strength strong enough to hold at least 300lbs, youll never get there unless you use steel plates. The Rogue Fitness C-70S Bar is the shorty bar Ive been waiting for. You can find a good compact barbell for less money, but you will not find a better compact barbell for less money. The Rogue Fitness C-70S Bar weighs in at just under 15kg, and Rogue is careful to note that it only weighs a full 15kg with collars included. I think I may have bought mine just after it was introduced, so I was lucky to get one before everyone else jumped on it. The C-70S is hands down the best barbell to buy if you are short on space and want the fewest compromises in a compact barbell. On the other hand, the bar is wildly over-specd for a youth bar. I was able to fit 70kg of Titan Fitness urethane competition bumpers per sleeve, leaving just enough room for a spring clip. Ill cover the specs I used to choose the bars I tested in the Requirements section, but the short version (ha ha) is that I chose bars that met the following criteria: The following table is for those that are short on time or just want the TL;DR version. Not bad for a shorty barbell! Not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of. Get a C-70S instead.
I initially thought the 25mm diameter would be too small for me to use, but I was pleasantly surprised. Rogue C-60B Bar size comparison with a 20kg Olympic barbell.
There are plenty of 6-foot bars available, but surprisingly few that meet all these requirements. If not rackable (less than 50 of bar width between collars), does it have other features that make it stand out? Short Olympic bars come in several sizes, including 4-foot, 5-foot, and 6-foot versions. Its an odd duck, and I was left with mixed feelings about it. The Eleiko XF Short Bar is built to the same specs as the full size Eleiko XF Bar but in a smaller package. More on this later. Recently, Rogue has started offering it separately and I was able to snag one during a brief window of availability before it sold out like everything else right now. Why??
The Rogue Junior Bar is the first true 25mm bar Ive ever owned and trained with. Boo! One sleeve also rattles under spin, due to a loose fitting Titan-branded endcap placed in the hollow at the end of the sleeve. The light knurling extends all the way to the sleeve collars and is easy on the hands, which makes high-rep snatch/clean/jerk sessions a breeze. A full size barbell has about 7.5 inches of space between the edge of the outer knurl mark and the sleeve collar, while the C-60B only has about 4. The XF Short Bar is finished entirely in chrome, which I personally do not like in a bar designed for functional fitness.
When I use this bar I find myself having to use chalk when my hands get sweaty, and most of you will know by now I prefer not to use chalk if I can avoid it. High reps mean sweaty hands, and chrome is hard to keep hold of with sweaty hands. GetRXd Shorty Bar size comparison to a 20kg Olympic bar. Hi Steph, great question. However, a good compact barbell can still meet the needs of most home gym lifters.
The GetRXd Shorty Barcan hold the full 140kg of test weight, although I only have 120kg loaded in the pictures above. CAP OB-73UL size comparison to a 20kg Olympic barbell. Although perhaps not as well known in the American home gym market as other brands, Eleiko has a 50+ year history of producing high quality barbells targeted for competitive weightlifting. Its a very dense cross-hatch pattern with dulled peaks provide excellent traction, and the Cerakote finish adds an extra amount of grip. Most of the other rackable short bars Ive tested so far weighed between 30-35lbs. The spiral ribbed sleeves spin smoothly and consistently with no side-to-side play. Whether youre a beginner or a seasoned lifter, the Performance Training Bar can be used to crush CrossFit-style WoDs, MetCons, Olympic lifts, and pressing lifts like squats, bench press, and overhead press. Best 28mm Short Bar - Fringe Sport Shorty Barbell, Best25mm Short Bar - American Barbell 10KG Performance Training Bar, BestShort Bar for Functional Fitness - Eleiko XF Short Bar, Best Compact Barbell - Rogue Fitness C-60B Bar, Best Value 28mmShort Bar - GetRXd Shorty Bar, Best Value25mm Short Bar - Rogue Fitness 10KG Junior Bar, Lowest Priced Short Bar - Titan 6' Technique Olympic Bar. The dense knurl pattern provides plenty of grip for pulling lifts, but is still light enough to make the bar useful for high-rep work without tearing up your hands. Its rated to hold up to 700lbs, which is way more than any kid and very few adults will ever be hoisting. Troy Barbell 6 ft Olympic Chrome Bar size comparison to a 20kg Olympic bar. The American Barbell 10KG Performance Training Bar proves that great things can come in small packages. This is a big deal, because it makes the bar much more usable for Olympic lifts. Use it for slow grinding lifts like bench press, squats, overhead press, and rows. The shorter overall length (72 vs the 86.75 of a full-length Ohio Bar) coupled with a full 52 between collars allows for full Olympic lift movements and proper hand placement on the snatch grip while saving almost fifteen inches of space compared to a full size barbell. With only 44 of space between collars, the Eleiko XF Short Bar will not fit on a standard full size rack. What is most curious to me about this bar is the weight rating. Do you have any questions I didnt cover or suggestions for other bars I may have overlooked? However, I realize that not everyone has enough space to accommodate a rack, so in some cases a good quality 5-foot bar would be a better choice. Size comparison against a 15kg womens bar, which is shorter than a full size 20kg barbell. In my opinion, the American Barbell 10KG Performance Training Bar has three features that really set it apart from the rest of the test group. However, Ill reach out to Eleiko and see if theyre interested in sending me one to review. No review of an Eleiko product would be complete without covering the biggest sticking point for most people.the cost. Im just waiting on the C-70S to come back in stock so I can snag one to review. The grip that black zinc provides is also sub-par. This is just over 330lbs for those of you whod rather not do the kilogram-to-pound conversion. Probably not, although I think it does indicate a well constructed collar and sleeve assembly. At 10kg (22lbs), this is one of the lightest bars of the test group.
However, the Cerakote finish and the bars ability to fit on a standard rack more than make up for it. The Rogue Junior Bar is a surprisingly versatile bar considering how small it is. The narrower shaft of the American Barbell 10KG Performance Training Bar makes the bar easier to hold in the front rack position than a full size barbell, which makes the Performance Training Bar easier to use for cleans and jerks than any other bar in the test group aside from the Rogue Junior Bar.
The GetRXd Shorty can hold over 400lbs of weight if you use metal plates, so it should be usable for the vast majority of home lifters.
York makes a line of basic strength training bars finished in either hard chrome or black oxide. You might be asking yourself, howd they do this?, which is a good question. Olympic bars, even compact shorty bars, come in several different shaft diameters. Including the weight of the bar, this adds up to a grand total of 130kg (286.6lbs) with no room to spare. Whats even more confusing is their product website still says the bar will hold 300lbs, even though the specs on the same page clearly state 250lb.
A full size barbell has about 7.5 inches of space between the edge of the outer knurl mark and the sleeve collar, while the XF Short Bar has just under 4. Tradeoffs are to be expected when using any multi-purpose bar, so I counter the slick grip witha bit of climbing chalkwhen necessary. As you can see in the pictures below, the collar comes right to the edge of the sleeve with only 120kg of loaded weight. Sleeve loaded with 60kg and a Lock-Jaw collar. This is a drawback, but the XF Short Bar has the most sleeve length of any short barbell Ive tested and therefore can hold the most weight of all the compact bars included in this review. A slightly thicker knurl would also help, although that would potentially impact this bars usefulness for high-rep work. Speaking of sleeve length, theres only 6.68 of loadable sleeve length on the Junior bar.
